Barney’s Beanery

One of Jim’s favorite bars was Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood, where this photo of him between Madonna’s legs now adorns a certain table. It’s a light-hearted collage, but one that speaks metaphorical volumes to the manner in which his image has been regenerated [regurgitated?] over the last 40 years. As for the collage’s potential interpretation[s], it’s convenient to view it as symbolic of rebirth, or a type of cyclical pop culture trap. In any case, after recently having taken the pic, it sadly brought to mind the trap, and death.

Circa mid-1968, Jim supposedly told Ray Manzarek that he was having a nervous breakdown and wanted to quit The Doors. Manzarek, as per Doors lore, offered cold comfort by requesting that Jim continue for another six months at which point they would reassess his condition. No one outside of Manzarek posseses absolute proof of this exchange.